One down, nine to go for Brett Brown

Brett Brown began his career as an NBA head coach against the last team he saw as an assistant. This time, his team made free throws down the stretch.

But this wasn’t about revenge for the Finals. This was about life for his franchise, and about getting one of the 10 wins he needs to avoid history.

Even after beating the defending champion Miami Heat Wednesday, there are no guarantees escapes the league’s worst-ever record.

Brown’s opener was at home, and the Heat were playing the second of a back-to-back. Yet the Sixers are 11-point underdogs, and this is the way the season will be.

Brown knows this better than anyone. He recently said as much in a moment of honesty. “You have six NBA players,” he said of his roster, “and then you have a bunch of guys who are fighting for spots and want to be seen and need opportunity.”

Brown’s bosses understand this, too. Philadelphia is one of several teams aiming to go low to rise again through the 2014 draft. The Sixers signed Brown to a 4-year contract to see them through this. He can survive, then, if he makes the best of the worst.

It’s just that the Sixers are determined to be the worst. “We’re not alone,” one NBA general manager told Sports Illustrated of his plan to tank. “Look at the 76ers. Since the draft in June, I don’t think they’ve signed a player or made a trade to add a legitimate player.”

And as oddsmaker Jeff Sherman told ESPN: “They’ve pretty much made it known in Philadelphia they’re trying to get the No. 1 pick for Andrew Wiggins and not holding back. Teams try for the draft pick sometimes late in the season, but they’re basically doing it the whole season.”

This is no way to begin a coaching career. But at least Brown understands the goals: Establish a culture, develop young talent and try to avoid the worst record in NBA history.

Philly already holds that. The 1972-73 Sixers went 9-73.

Brown took a significant step Wednesday toward accomplishing all three. But it’s a long season.